Student nurse found in Hampshire after seven-weeks had search hampered by police 'delays' that saw officers speak to her on the day she went missing

Police probe finds no racial bias in hampered search for missing student nurse, who was located in Hampshire. Picture: Ian Hargreaves (310519-11)

A STUDENT nurse found in Hampshire after a huge search could have been found on the day she was reported missing, as police probe says communication ‘delays’ and not racial bias hampered their efforts.

Student nurse Owami Davies, 24, from Grays, Essex, was found safe and well in Hampshire on August 23, more than seven weeks after she went missing.

A review by senior officers into the actions of the Metropolitan Police and Essex Police during the investigation has the search was hit by delays in uploading information to a national police system.

Ms Davies had been reported missing to Essex Police by her mother just before 1pm on July 6.

HMS Spey makes Royal Navy history in Australia - with some smuggling involved

Officers visited her family’s home at 8.20am the next day – but high-risk crimes in the area meant a delay in adding the missing nurse’s to the police national computer (PNC).

It meant officers did not realise they were speaking to a missing person when they spoke to Ms Davies in Croydon after a tip-off from public on the day she was reported missing.

The handover of information from Essex Police to the Metropolitan Police on July 23 was found to be insufficient due to challenges over duplicating work and swift responses to urgent inquiries.

During the investigation, the Met published an appeal with an image of a woman who was not Ms Davies, which has been put down to a human error, with ‘no evidence of racial bias’.

Commander Paul Brogden said: ‘As with any large policing operation, we have worked with our advisory groups to review our actions.

‘I’m pleased that their feedback was largely positive, both about the officers involved and our handling of the investigation.

‘The review did identify some important learning points, including how a missing person inquiry is transferred from one force to another to ensure work isn’t duplicated and any urgent inquiries are carried out as swiftly as possible.’

Despite the arrests of five people and numerous appeals for information, officers struggled to find Ms Davies as they trawled through 117 reported sightings.

The 118th report, made in response to a media appeal by a member of the public was the one which led to her being found.